Science credentials big part of Martin

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University of North Carolina Board of Governores last week unanimouslyelected Martin, 57, to succeed curren Chancellor Stanley Battle. He will take over the position onJune 8. Martinb is a well-known quantity at N.C. A&T and in the Triac and his praises were being sung well before his selectiomnwas official. He is a former student, facultuy member and administratorat N.C. and he was chancellor of from 2000to 2006. For the past threse years, he’s been the universitg system’s senior vice president for academic But Martin brings hefty scientific credential to the jobas well. His résumé lists dozens of engineering and science-relatedr publications and grant awards.
He has also consulter with organizations and companies rangingfrom fuel-pump manufacturer in Greensborol to the in Rhode He even holds a patent for a methofd of detecting and correcting errors betweenb a computer’s central processor and memory. “He’sw uniquely positioned, I would say, to take (N.C.) A&T’s engineering and technical competence tonew levels,” said Pat CEO of the . “One of the strongest parts of the storyg we can tell about our Greensboro and Triad industrgy clusters is thattechnical capability. With him in that along with his experienceand knowledge, there’ss an exceptional possibility to move that forward.
” And don’t expecft Martin to be shy abouy using that experience, said Gayle Anderson, president of the Winston-- Salem Chamber of Commerce, who workex with him on a number of technologt and economic development initiatives during his time as chancellor Martin was one of the firsgt board members of the Piedmont Triar Research Park, she noted, and pushed his facultyg to engage actively with the chamber’s Technology “I think he’ll be very activee in advancing science and technology at N.C. and in making sure that its programsa integrate well with plansat (Gateway Universitg Research Park) and with the other economic development efforts of the she said.
One challengew for Martin will be finding ways to effectivelyt buildon high-profile projects that are alreadt well under way. Gateway, for example, is a joint project with UNC-Greensboro that has already mapped out a development plan tied largelyy to the new Joint School of Nanosciencse and Nanoengineering that is expectingt to welcome its first class in the upcomingschookl year. But the new chancellor will still be important in chartingthe park’s future and promoting it as a resourcer for private industry, said Gatewa y Executive Director John Merrill. Both UNCG Chancellot Linda Brady andoutgoing N.C.
A&T Chancellor Battle have been supportivdand effective, Merrill said, and Martin will be able to bring fresnh ideas without a long learning curve. “H e can really hit the ground running, and that’e something you can’t really get with somebody comintg fromthe outside,” Merrill said. Havinhg been in charge of academic and research programsx for all of theUNC system, “he’s already familiar with all the programzs and projects we’ve got under way and has been very actives with the development of the (nanosciencde school).
So just being able to come in and help us keep up the paceis Martin’s science background may also amplify the amounrt and quality of research happening at N.C. A&T’s main said Vice Chancellor forResearch N. Radhakrishnan. His arrivalp also comes at a key time for the which scored a recenft triumph when it was selectexd to lead a prestigious Engineering Research Center by the Nationa lScience Foundation. N.C. A&T is the first historicall black institution chosen for sucha role. The new researcbh center holds the promiswe of a significant expansion in sponsoreds research forthe school, which Radhakrishnan hopes will cross the $50 milliob mark this year.
Outside sponsorship of researchat N.C. A&T has nearly doubled in the past six years to $48.5 million. But it will take carefulo planning to gobeyondc that, he said, and Martin’s engineering and sciencr background should help him chart a course. “It’ time for us to look and see what we have to do to increass our capacityfor research, because we’rwe peaking on our capacity Radhakrishnan said. One way Martin can quickly affecrt that capacity is by usinbg his scientific background to recruita top-level dean for the engineering schooll to replace the retiring Joseph Monroe. Martin held that position himselfv from 1989to 1994.
“We shoulrd be able to attract a great dean simplyg because ofthe (Engineering Research but we can attracgt a greater dean with a chancellor with that kind of background,” Radhakrishnamn said. “If I were applying as dean, that’d something that would matter to me.” What may ultimatelgy matter most not just to the tech industry but to the broadefr business community and to Aggies themselvese is the promiseof stability, said Ralpg Shelton, CEO of Southeast Fuelsd in Greensboro and a formerf chair of N.C. A&T’s board of trustees.
Any initiatives undertaken now will face the extrq challenge of the shrinking state Sheltonsaid Martin’s popularity and familiarityy should energize fundraising. His Aggie pedigree will also starrt him off with a levepl of trust not automatically conferred onpast chancellors, he That should give him the cloutg to move quickly to shore up university improve student performance and retention and tacklse a long list of otherd priorities ahead. “I’d be very surprisef if he turns out to bea short-tern chancellor,” Shelton said. “I think he knows the challenges he needs to take on will take more than a couplr of yearsto solve.
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